Blood Brothers
by squishymcd
Summary: All is well at Cross Academy. Yuki and Zero are finally together, and happy. The vampires are living perfectly in harmony with the humans. But, could the addition of a new class not only upset this newfound peace, but also threaten to destroy it?
1. Chapter 1

Blood brothers, by squishymcd

Hey everybody, just thought I'd pump out my own little Vampire Knight fanfic. It's my first fanfic, so be nice about it. I've added a hell of a lot of original characters, and I'm making the story completely original, almost unrelated to the real plot. I hope you enjoy it.

_The soft beat of her heart. The rush of the blood flowing through her veins. The sweet, tantalising smell of her blood. He can't ignore them, he must act on it. Vampires live to feed, to heed the siren's call of blood, no matter how dear to you the person it's flowing through is. Her neck is exposed. So soft. So vulnerable. He leans towards her, his mouth only centimetres away from the perfection that was beneath. His fangs touch her skin gently, only a thin wall of skin separating them from her blood. One bite will bring it to him. One bite. One..._

* * *

><p> Zero snaps his eyes open. "Yuki!" he screams. His eyes darting around the small room, trying to find her, trying to make sure she's safe. The covers shift next to him, and Yuki sits up beside him. "Zero, it's okay, I'm here, I'm alright. It was just another dream Zero, I'm safe." Her soft smile reassures him, and he slowly relaxes, his breathing returning to normal. Yuki kisses him gently on the cheek, and whispers in his ear "I'm okay, don't worry. Now, go back to sleep, it's four in the morning. Let's enjoy our day off." Zero lies down as Yuki gently pushes him back, his head resting on a pillow. Zero turns his head to look at the girl lying next to him, her shapely sixteen year old body curled up beside him, clinging onto him gently, reassuringly. Zero smiles and wraps his arm around her, pulling her tighter to him. She was his. He grew up with her, and he couldn't deny his feelings. He tried, and up until she was fifteen, he seemed to be able to hide it. But then she let him feed on her. She let him suck her blood, to sink his fangs into her tender, soft neck. After that, he depended on her to stop him from going mad. The small drinks of blood he took keeping him sane. That was until Kaname let him drink. Kaname's pure vampire blood weaned him, stopped his deterioration into an animal. It was only supposed to be a temporary solution, but Zero's blood mixed quite well with Kaname's, curing him of the threat of becoming a Level E vampire. Yuki still offered to feed Zero, but he realised that he no longer wanted her blood, he just wanted her. He could no longer hide it. One night, after almost biting her, one kiss changed them both, forever. He was happy. She was happy. Zero kissed his love on the forehead, and then closed his eyes, praying that another blood dream wouldn't invade his mind. He always gets these dreams when Kaname wants to feed, like they're somehow connected. Zero holds Yuki close, and slowly drifts off into a peaceful, blood free sleep...<p>

* * *

><p>"Good evening, Yuki."<p>

Kaname always greeted Yuki the same way when he saw her. Always with that same, emotionless sentence. It's as if he just forgot how much he cared about her, or how much he still does. Kaname accepted that Yuki could not be his, and he respected her and Zero so much. Zero protects her, and so Kaname can't complain.

"Good evening, Kaname." Yuki chirps back, as if to contrast his dull tone. "Hey buddy." Zero says with a smirk. Zero has learned a few things since drinking Kaname's blood. It puts him above most vampires, and it makes him stronger than most of them too. Unfortunately, he lacks the elemental or psychic powers most vampires have. He chuckles as the vampires in the hall reel in disgust as the words "Hey buddy" come from his lips. They always refer to him as "Lord Kaname". Zero never liked calling him that, and has figured out that for Yuki's sake, Kaname will let Zero away with most things like that. He likes being immune from the dumb little honorifics. Not that he doesn't respect Kaname. If it wasn't for him, he would be an animal by now.

"I have some very important news, for all of you", Kaname announces. "Cross academy has been our home for quite a few years now. We're all comfortable and well treated here, and I'm delighted to say that it's expanding. As of today, a new class is being added to the academy"

A shared gasp rings across the room. Nobody, not even Yuki, had ever thought another class would join the academy. The vampires glanced at each other, hoping that someone would understand this, and make sense of it. Zero and Yuki just held hands, and waited for Kaname to continue.

"This class will be housed in a new dorm, in between the day class dorm and the night class dorm."

"But that's completely forest!" Hanubusa interrupted.

"Please," Kaname continued, "Don't interrupt me Hanubusa. Yes, that area is almost completely forest, but a new dorm has been built there. It built on a platform, just above the trees. This class is called, the Twilight class. They will attend both the day classes with the humans, and the night classes with us vampires, depending on each person's individual choice."

Zero suddenly tensed up. "They'll be taking classes with vampires, if they so choose." Zero still referred to vampires as "Vampires", as if he wasn't one of them, out of force of habit, "How can that be allowed? They must know of vampirism, otherwise they would be a threat to allow into the class."

"I'm afraid I'm just as confused as you on that one Zero" Kaname says, shocking most of the class. They never expected Kaname to be confused, ever. "I'm afraid I know very little about the inhabitants of this class. The headmaster told me very little. I was simply informed to make this announcement to you all. Now, the Twilight class should be arriving any minute now. I'm not sure what to expect, but please, show them how courteous and mannerly we can be." Kaname smiles, a rare show of emotion. The class calms down, and pose in their typical vampire fashion, ready to greet these new classmates, ready to accept them, and even befriend them. After all, Yuki has shown that humans are kind creatures. Why should these be any different?

A loud knock is heard, and two vampires rush over to it to open the large double doors. The doors are pulled open, and several people walk in, their uniforms a shade of gray, not too dark or too light, the perfect mix of black and white. As they walk in, it becomes apparent that they are being led by one man. He looks about eighteen, and he is tall. Not to the extent of Zero or Kaname, but noticeably taller than most of the vampires in the room. His hair is red, and spiked, but not messily. Each spike seems to be perfectly styled. As he walks closer, the vampires look towards their lord, and see something they did not expect. On Kaname's face is a look that no vampire in the room has ever seen before, and one they had never expected to see on their mighty pureblood leader's face. Zero's mouth drops wide open, and Yuki poses, pointing her fist towards her chin. On Kaname's face is the most unexpected look anyone could have expected. On Kaname's face, is a look of fear.

The red haired leader of the Twilight class grins, a look of menace behind his dark eyes.

"Long time no see, Kaname Kuran."


	2. Chapter 2

_It is not odd for vampires to be silent. The night dorm often goes days without a single word being spoken, each vampire absorbed in their own thoughts and work. Vampires are no stranger to silence. Silence is a friend of the night. But, no vampire in this hall had ever been silent due to shock and fear. No vampire was ever left speechless by the terror expressed on their beloved pureblood leader's face. No vampire had ever stopped dead in their tracks and stood, frozen in fear because of one man. And no man had ever stood, grinning at the fear on the vampire's faces before._

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><p>After what seemed like an hour, but had in reality only been a few minutes, Kaname regained his composure spoke. "Good evening, Ichigo. I had not expected to see you tonight, or ever again, in fact." Kaname spoke with his usual soft voice, although Zero noticed a small shake in his voice when he spoke the name "Ichigo". Zero glanced at Yuki, who was clutching his hand tightly. She seemed afraid, but confused as to why. Zero could see she was deep in thought, because her fist was tucked up under her chin, her usual pose for thought.<p>

"I didn't expect to see you this glorious night either Kaname, oh, excuse me, _Lord_ Kaname." The man who Kaname named as Ichigo said, grinning menacingly throughout the sentence. He seemed to spit out the word "Lord", almost as if he was disgusted by it. "But, I am so glad that we have met once again." Nobody could tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere. He had strange mocking voice, as if he wasn't speaking a word of the truth, but he had such authority that you believed him.

"Yes...glad. I'm glad to make your acquaintance again Ichigo. It will be...interesting to share this academy with you." Kaname's face remained completely neutral throughout the conversation. He didn't give a thing away. "I assume that the headmaster has briefed you on the rules, both human and vampire?" Kaname placed extra emphasis on the word "Vampire" as if it was more important.

"Don't worry Kaname, we know the rules. We won't break them if you don't." Ichigo's face lit up at this little mock bargain he was offering. "Now, if you'll excuse us, my classmates and I must head back to our dorms. We haven't seen them yet, and now that we've introduced ourselves to both other classes, we'd like to get a good rest. The day class just adored us." Ichigo let out a small chuckle "And we think they're just swell, if not a little boney." Ichigo starts to walk towards the door, his classmates following him like a pack. Just as he's about to leave, he turns his head back "Goodnight Kaname, see you around the academy."

And with that, Ichigo, and the rest of the Twilight class, left for their dorm.

* * *

><p>There was silence in the night dorm for a few minutes after the Twilight class left. Everyone had questions, but they were all too afraid to ask. Eventually, Kaname spoke. "I ask all of you to stay away from the Twilight class. Speak to them only when necessary, and do not under any circumstances go to their dorm. Those of you who will share classes with them, keep an eye on them, and most importantly," Kaname paused, and looked at Yuki, before continuing softly, "Do not let them alone with the humans. I am tired after this meeting. Should any of you need me, I will be in my room. Goodnight my friends. Goodnight Yuki." Kaname starts to walk up the stairs, leaving all his loyal vampires confused, before turning around and saying "And Zero, if you would come see me tomorrow in my room, I would greatly appreciate it. Come alone, please." And with that, Kaname disappeared up the stairs to his room.<p>

Yuki was the first to speak. "Wh...who was that?" _And why am I so afraid of him..._Yuki thought after asking her question. "Well, his name appears to be Ichigo, and he appears to be the leader of the Twilight dorm. Their equivalent to Lord Kaname, if you will." Hanubusa answers, before being slapped on the back of his head by Kain. "Good job Hanubusa, you pointed out the obvious." As Hanubusa rubs the back of his head, he mutters "I was just trying to help, no need to hit me..." Kain softens up a little, a look of guilt sweeping over his face "Sorry Hanubusa, force of habit. You actually have a good point. He is their Lord Kaname. He's their leader. This could be useful to know." "But what are 'they'? What are the Twilight class? Are they human?" Yuki asks softly, glancing at Zero for an answer. Zero just stands there, deep in thought. "They don't appear to be vampires, but I can never really tell. I don't know Yuki." Kain answers. Zero mumbles something to himself, just low enough so that Yuki, who is standing next to him, can't hear it. "What was that Zero?" Hanubusa asks. There is a brief pause before Zero answers, "I said, there's only one way to find out what they are, and that's to go see them at their dorm." A slight gasp rings across the room. "But, Lord Kaname asked us not to go to their dorms!" exclaims Ruka "We can't just disobey him!" Zero grins slightly before saying "Maybe you can't, but I can. About a third of the blood flowing through my veins belongs to Kaname, and so I feel I can bend his rules a little. I want to know what this Twilight class is, and why the hell that Ichigo scared the hell out of Kaname." Zero looks down at Yuki, who started clutching his hand even tighter when he said that. She looks scared, concerned for his safety. Zero bends down and grabs Yuki's chin gently with his index finger and thumb, before tilting her head up and kissing her gently on the lips. "Don't worry Yuki, I'll be back soon, I promise." Yuki smiles up at Zero, a sight that would have surely upset Kaname if he had saw it. "Now," Zero continued, "you stay here with the vampires. I don't like the idea of you being alone while I'm gone." And with that, Zero starts walking towards the door. "Keep her amused, will you?" he calls back to the dorm full of vampires, before disappearing into the night.

* * *

><p>Zero dashes through the night, running along the edges of walls and over the many rooftops of the academy. He moves faster than he ever could when he was human, or ever when he first became a vampire. Although he won't admit it, Zero loves the newfound strength and speed he has acquired since becoming a vampire, and even more so since he drank Kaname's blood. He dashes along the rooftops towards the Twilight dorm, his Bloody Rose holstered safely within his jacket. He comes to the edge of the buildings, to a forest. In the middle of the forest, he sees a dorm, resting on a platform, the moonlight bouncing off it's light exterior, causing it to glow in the night. Zero sees a bridge connecting the dorm to the main part of the academy, but decides to run along the tree tops, so not to be detected. He leaps among the trees, quite enjoying himself, and losing himself in a game of bouncing along the trees. For a few minutes, Zero felt like a child, simply playing. Once he reaches the dorm, he regains his serious composure and forgets the game, trying to lie to himself, saying it wasn't really fun. Zero stands on a ledge of the dorm house, peering through a window into the main hall. He sees nobody in the hall, and decides to sneak in through the window, not knowing what he hopes to find. Zero opens the window, which was left unlocked, and climbs in. He jumps down from the windowsill and lands on the floor, making only a slight thud as he lands. Zero walks through the hall, looking for something that would give him some information. Anything...<p>

"Kaname Kuran, how nice of you to visit." An all too familiar voice booms. Zero looks around to see where the voice has come from, until he hears a thud behind him. "...You're not Kuran. I could have sworn I smelled Kuran's blood in her- Ohhhhhhhhhh, I see. Is _Lord_ Kaname sharing his blood among his subordinates now?" Zero turns around to face his company. Ichigo. "So," Ichigo continues, "What brings you to my fair dorm?"

Zero says nothing, but stares at the red haired man in front of him, his hand edging closer to his Bloody Rose.

"Speak, boy, I'm not one to accept silence as an explanation for trespassing. Why are you here?" Ichigo's voice sounded more threatening with each sentence.

"...I want to know who you are." Zero says coldly, not giving away any of the fear he is experiencing. Ichigo chuckles, and bows sarcastically. "Ichigo Kaburagi. And you are?" "...Zero Kiryu." "Well, Zero, I'm afraid I don't take too kindly to trespassing on my dorm. Repercussions are in order."

Ichigo raises his hand to strike Zero. Zero quickly draws his Bloody Rose. "Don't move a muscle, or I'll turn you into dust." Zero squints his eyes at Ichigo, giving him a look of complete threat. This look melts into a concerned scrunching of eyebrows when Ichigo starts chuckling. "A Bloody Rose? They gave you a Bloody Rose? I'm terrified." Ichigo says sarcastically. Zero decides he's had enough. He's already killed several vampires. What's another one? It'll put this new dorm in their place, removing any threat to the night class, or Yuki. Zero pulls the trigger on his weapon, and a bolt of bright light shoots out of it, directly into Ichigo's chest. Zero waits for the sparks, the dust. The closest they can have to a corpse.

Nothing.

Ichigo stands in front of a now panicked Zero, a look of both anger and delight on his face.

"You just tried to kill me. Good thing Bloody Roses only work on vampires." Ichigo shoves Zero back several feet, Zero landing on his back and grunting in pain.

"You asked who I was. I told you. Now, let me show you _what_ I am. It's been nice knowing you, Zero Kiryu."

Ichigo stands up straight, and then collapses down to his knees. His arms grow in length, and muscles start to spring up on them. His legs shoot out, growing at a phenomenal speed. His entire body grows to about seven feet in the space of a few seconds. Zero watches helplessly as muscles grow all over Ichigo's body. His shirt rips, and falls off, followed directly by his trousers. His skin starts to darken, seemingly getting thicker. Zero gasps as dark red hair starts to grow all over Ichigo's body, covering him from head to toe. Ichigo's face elongates, until his mouth is replaced by a snout. His teeth grow and sharpen, turning into fangs, four deadly canine teeth extremely prominent. His ears perk up, turning triangular and long, sticking up above his head. His nose is replaced by a wet, black ball. Finally, a tail grows from his behind. Ichigo stands up, towering over Zero, his fur covered body muscled beyond belief, his snarling, fang filled jaws drooling rabidly. Ichigo's red eyes stare down at Zero angrily, hungrily. Ichigo raises his head to the sky and takes a breath in.

A howl pierces the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everybody, just thought I'd add a little warning to this one. This chapter is going to get a little explicit, but nothing too risqué will happen, just a few situations.

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><p>Yuki stares out the window of her room in the night dorm. She smiles, thinking how nice it was of the vampires to give her a room after she and Zero became a couple. She giggles, wondering how the other students in the day class would react if they knew she had a room in both dorms. She then blushed, thinking how they would react if they knew she was with a vampire, much less sleeping in the same bed with one. Yuki blushes, as the words "sleeping with" creep into her head. She rarely sleeps in her bed in the day dorm anymore, always sleeping in Zero's arms. A smile spreads across her face as she gets the warm safe feeling of Zero's arms around her as she sleeps, even just from picturing it. She likes sleeping with him every night. Yuki blushes once again, as "sleeping with him" enters her mind. She tucks her fist up under her chin, thinking deeply. "Sleeping with him..." she says aloud to herself. Yuki often wondered if Zero thought about that, or about her in that way. Zero is always so respectful with her, never pressuring her into anything. She smiles, thinking of the gentle kisses he always gives her, and how much she loves them. How much she loves him...<p>

Yuki stares out her window, and starts concentrating on what she has, and how beautiful a night it is. The beautiful moon, the sounds of nature. If she concentrates, she can even hear a wolf howling in the distance...

* * *

><p>Zero grunts in pain as he's thrown against the wall, and again as he hits the ground. He looks up at his assailant. Seven feet tall, covered in fur, sharp, deadly fangs. Ichigo Kaburagi. Zero thought he was a vampire, perhaps in a rival clan to Kaname, but it has become obvious that Ichigo is something much more dangerous. Ichigo lunges at Zero again, but this time Zero dodges to the left, Ichigo's claw just missing him. Zero glanced back at Ichigo and tried to think of his next move. Before he can even consider attacking, Ichigo is on him again. Picking Zero up with one hand, he tries to bite at his throat, attemting to rip it out. Zero, acting on instinct, shoves his hands at Ichigo's jaws, and holds them open, Ichigo's canine teeth just touching the surface of his throat. After about thirty seconds of this, Ichigo gets tired of trying, and instead throws Zero at the wall again. This time, Zero hits his head. Whiteness flashes in Zero's eyes as he hits the wall. His vision blurs for a moment, before returning to normal. Ichigo charges at the vampire lying on the ground. Zero can't move, he's frozen to the ground, his motor functions shot from the impact of hitting the wall. Zero stares at his attacker, trying to find any way to prevent his own doom. He thinks of none. Zero waits for the end, and makes a silent apology to Yuki for not returning to her. A single tear falls from his eye as he loses all hope of ever seeing his beloved again.<p>

Zero hears a loud yelp and a crash. He looks up to see Ichigo lying on the left side of the room, crumpled in a ball. Zero gasps, as Ichigo shrinks, and the hair covering his body retracts. Ichigo is turning human again. As if the shock and confusion is too much for him, Zero closes his eyes, and loses consciousness.

* * *

><p>A young man, looking about sixteen or seventeen, stands over Ichigo's unconscious body. He examines the red haired man, making sure he isn't injured too badly. Just a concussion, nothing he can't handle. The young man directs his gaze to Zero, now knocked out at the other end of the room. He walks over to Zero, and examines him. Pretty banged up, quite a few injuries. He shrugs. "He's a vampire, he'll recover." He says to himself. He bends down to Zero and picks him up, swinging him over his shoulder. "Let's get you home then."<p>

The young man walks out of the dorm, dressed in a leather jacket and a pair of jeans, and a pair of black converse. He thought that the uniform was too much hassle to put on at his time of night. He turns his head to look at Zero. A smile creeps across his face as he noticed his hairstyle. Exactly the same, with the exception of the colour. Where Zero has white hair, he has a very dark shade of blonde, almost brown, but not quite. He walks towards the night dorm, taking his time, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. After a few minutes of walking, he reaches the door of the night dorm. He raises his hand and knocks on the door loudly.

After a few minutes, the young man realises something. It's the night class. They have class right now. He lets out a sigh, and knocks again, just to be safe, not expecting anyone to be in. To his surprise, the door opens, a black haired vampire standing in the doorway. The vampire looks at him, holding Zero.

"Ichigo?" says the vampire. He nods. "Ichigo. I'm sorry. I managed to stop him before he was finished. He has an awful temper."

The vampire smiles. "Well, thank you for saving my friend." The vampire says, reaching out for Zero. The young man hands him to him. The vampire then smiles again. "That was brave of you. Thank you very much. Should you need a favour, simply ask for me. Kaname Kuran." The young man smiles, and bows politely. "Akira Regendorf. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kaname." Kaname nods. "Ah, Regendorf. I know your father. Your family is very well respected. And I can see why, you're so mannerly. Very few non-vampires address me as Lord, and even fewer of your kind do so." "Well, we're not all like Ichigo. Some of us have no problem with vampires. I for one admire you. But, I only came to return your friend. He's pretty injured, so look after him. Goodnight, Lord Kaname." Akira bows and turns to walk away, but stops when he hears Kaname say "I think you'd make a fine Alpha." Akira stops, smiles, and simply says "Thank you." He then starts walking again, back to his dorm. Away from the regal world of vampires, back to the pack from which he came. He takes a deep breath in through his nose, his heightened sense of smell enjoying ever aroma of the night.

Kaname closes the door, and carries Zero upstairs. "You're too reckless Zero. Too curious for your own good. It wouldn't do if you were badly hurt. Think of how upset Yuki will be even from this."

Kaname knocks on Yuki's room door, waiting a minute before it's opened.

"Hello Yuki." He says with a forced smile, as he returns the one she has chosen to her.

* * *

><p>Zero opens his eyes, realises he's lying in his bed, and looks at the clock. Two in the morning. He's been asleep for almost twenty four hours. He turns his head to see Yuki sitting on a chair beside him, he eyes red and wet. She had been crying, though she was trying to hide it by wiping her eyes. "You're awake!" Yuki shouts before diving on top of him, hugging him tight. "I was so scared, you've been asleep for a whole day. I thought you might not wake up. Kaname told me you'd be fine, but I was still worried." Yuki tears up again and hugs Zero tighter. "I was so scared..."<p>

Zero wraps his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "You're right, I am okay. Yuki, look at me." Zero gently guides Yuki's gaze to his face, smiling, in a show of happiness that is becoming increasingly common. "I'm fine. I'm here. I'm sorry I went off, but I'm fine now. Please, sweetie," Yuki smiles. She likes it when Zero uses a pet name on her. "Stop crying." Yuki stops crying and hugs onto Zero tight. After a few minutes of them holding each other, Yuki suddenly breaks the hug, and pulls on Zero, making him sit up. She then gets on top of him, her legs spread out around his, sitting facing him. Zero breathes in sharply, not expecting this. "Is she..." Zero thinks to himself, and feels himself start to heat up, and get a little hard. "She, she can't be doing what I think she is...can she?" Zero thinks. Yuki sits on him, their eyes locked, before tilting her head back, exposing her neck. "Drink."

Zero lets out a sigh of both relief and disappointment, before realising what Yuki is asking. "I don't need to feed from you Yuki, I no longer reject the pills." Zero states, confused. Yuki tilts her head back a little more. "But, real blood is better for you. It will heal you quicker. Please, feed from me. I want to help you."

Zero stares at Yuki's neck, her soft skin right in front of her face. His eyes start to glow red, and Yuki sees that showing him her neck is working. "Feed. I want you to. It's okay. Drink from me Zero. Drink."

Zero can no longer resist his bloodlust. He moves his face closer to Yuki's neck, until his lips are touching her skin softly. Yuki lets out a little gasp when she feels his lips. Zero kisses her neck softly before baring his fangs, and pressing them against the delicate skin of her neck. The points touch her flesh, causing her to breathe in sharply, not in pain, in pleasure. Zero pulls back, only for a second, to whisper softly to Yuki.

"I love you, Yuki Cross."

Zero bites into Yuki's neck, blood rushing from it into his mouth. It's so sweet. Zero sucks her blood down, revelling in the feeling of her warm blood flowing down his throat, dancing on his tongue, filling him with her warmth. Yuki moans softly, loving the feeling of Zero's fangs penetrating her flesh. Zero keeps drinking, gorging himself on Yuki's delicious blood. He keeps drinking, losing himself in her perfect red liquid. Yuki doesn't want to stop him, but she knows that he must stop soon, or else he will take too much. Yuki tries to warn him, but all she does is let out a soft moan.

Zero drinks Yuki's blood for another minute, before a little voice in his head tells him to stop. "You'll drain her. Stop now".

Zero pulls his fangs out of Yuki's neck, and breaths heavily, pleasurable. Yuki looks deep into Zero's eyes, breathing sharply, trying to find the words to describe how amazing that felt, before simply whispering "I love you too...Zero Kiryu..." and fainting into his arms. There they lie, in their bed, Zero tired from the blood. He closes his eyes, and holds Yuki close as she sleeps. Zero kisses Yuki on the cheek gently, and then falls asleep, his body not able to handle the pleasure and fulfilment he has gotten from her blood.

There they sleep, the vampire, and the girl who gave him her blood.

As he sleeps, the last drop of blood dripped from his fangs to the back of his throat, causing him to smile in his sleep.

Zero's dreams are of Yuki that night.


	4. Chapter 4

_Yuki watches as the blood trickles from the edges of Zero's mouth. Her blood. Zero licks his lips, savouring every last drop of her blood. Yuki stands, staring, as Zero makes his way over to her, slowly walking towards her. As he takes his takes take him closer to her, she watches as a few drops of blood fall from his mouth and land on his bare chest. "Bare chest?" Yuki thinks to herself. She looks at her vampire, her love, and sees that he isn't wearing any clothes. Yuki gasps, admiring his body, before looking down and seeing that she isn't either. She squeaks and crosses her arms, attempting to cover up her naked chest. Zero smiles at her shyness, as he gently holds both her hands and uncovers her. "Why are you covering up? Isn't this what you want?" Yuki considers for a moment, before blushing and nodding. Zero moves closer, wrapping his arms around her, pressing their bodies together. He grabs her chin gently, the way he always does before he kisses her. But this was different. He wasn't just guiding her, he was moving her. He pulls her closer, until their lips connect. This wasn't his usual gentle kiss. This kiss had so much raw passion behind it. Their lips mash together, kissing each other quickly, as if dancing. Slowly, Zero's tongue snakes its way into Yuki's mouth. Their tongues slide over each other, as if finding solace and comfort in the touch of the other's tongue. There they stood, Zero and Yuki, naked as the day they were born, kissing each other like they never have before._

And then Yuki woke up.

* * *

><p>Yuki sat, up in the bed, her breathing quick and shallow. She turned to Zero, who was still asleep. She couldn't believe what she had just dreamed about. That has never happened before. She stares at Zero, seeing him in a new light. As well as seeing his calming grey eyes, she now sees his muscled torso, and his body in general. She never realised how amazing Zero really looks. She had fallen in love with him for his kind nature towards her, and his willingness to protect her no matter what. She never even stopped to consider his looks, other than his eyes, hair and height. Yuki looked at her vampire Adonis as he slept, biting her lip. She shakes her head, lays back down beside him, and closes her eyes. "Another day Yuki. It'll happen." She muses to herself. She clings onto Zero, and slowly falls back to sleep, hoping another dream like that won't invade her mind. That would only make her more impatient.<p>

* * *

><p>Akira lies in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room. He likes his new room, it's small, cosy. He wonders when Ichigo will wake up. Akira had to pick him up, put him in his bed, and tidy up the main hall. He hadn't expected Ichigo to be out for so long. "I guess I hit him harder than I thought..." he says quietly to himself. Akira looks out the window, out into the forest surrounding the dorm. He marvels at how beautiful the trees look in the light of the moon, and how luminous the moon itself is tonight. As stereotypical as it sounds, he's always liked the moon. He hears some shuffling in the trees outside the dorm, and smells something strong too. A floral scent, though no one flower. It's like a mixture of all the flowers he can think of. He takes a deep breath in, as he really likes the smell. Akira gets up and goes to his window, looking for the source of the noise, and this wonderful aroma. He opens the window, and listens for a location. The shuffling continues for a moment, and then stops. But now a new noise has taken its place. This one is more subtle, harder to notice. A steady noise. A necessary noise. Breathing. Akira leaps out the window to locate the source of this breathing.<p>

He lands on the balcony a floor down from his, before springing onto a tree and leaping across them. Listening for this breathing, and smelling this scent. They seem to be connected, emanating from the same location. As he bounds from tree to tree, clinging onto the branches expertly, landing each jump precisely, the breathing grows louder to his heightened hearing. After about five minutes of this tracking and jumping, Akira notices a figure sitting in the branches of one of the trees. He sits atop a neighbouring tree for a few minutes, simply watching the figure. They didn't have a scent he recognised, most certainly not another of his kind. "Could they be a vampire?" he thought to himself silently. He took a long sniff in. He couldn't quite tell the difference between humans and vampires yet, as he hasn't been around vampires enough to get their scent. Although that white haired boy had a familiar smell to him, no other vampires seemed to smell different. After debating with himself for another few minutes, he decides to drop in and see this visitor to the forest.

Akira leaps from his perch, landing on the tree with the visitor, a few branches below them, so as not to shake the tree too much. The figure, who Akira can now see is a girl, around fifteen or sixteen, yet out a yelp when he landed. "Sorry to drop in on you, did I frighten you?" The girl pauses for a second while she returns her breathing to normal. "Y-yes, you did. I didn't expect anyone to show up. I'm usually alone here." The girl says. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just saw you from my room, and I wanted to see who you were." Akira was very careful to say "saw" and not "smelled". They wouldn't understand his heightened sense of smell. "I can leave you alone if you want? I was just curious as to who was climbing the trees of this beautiful forest so late at night."

The girl smiles when Akira called the forest beautiful. "It is beautiful, isn't it? I come here nights when I need to be alone, like tonight. People rarely see how amazing nature is, let alone admit it." The girl was now smiling directly at Akira, seemingly pleased with his description of the forest. "Well, I certainly see its beauty." _I'd have to, I've lived in it most of my life..._he thought to himself. "You said you wanted to be alone tonight. I can leave if you want, I understand the need to be alone sometimes." The girl's mouth drops open, as if shocked another person understands her. "No, it's okay you can stay. It's interesting to talk to someone here for once." The girl smiles at Akira, as she's been doing since he arrived. "Oh, thank you." Akira smiles back, before taking a breath in automatically "You smell astounding. It doesn't smell like perfume, it smells more natural. It's simply amazing." The girl blushes and smiles shyly. "I, um, thank you...I'm sorry, I didn't get your name yet." Akira bows politely, before saying "Akira Regendorf, at your service." "Sakura Sakamoto." Akira looks at Sakura, smiling. He's never had a conversation that lasted this long with a human before, and he's certainly never been on full name basis with a human before.

"I must say, you really scared me earlier...Akira." Sakura says, pausing before speaking Akira's name. "Well, I'm sorry Sakura, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have just jumped over to you like that." Akira replies, genuinely worried about scaring her. Sakura smiles. "It's okay. The way you jumped was really impressive though. I'm surprised you did it so easily, you must be quite the acrobat." Akira got a worried look on his face. "Yes, acrobat..." Sakura picks at one of her fingernails nervously. "It was really impressive..." Akira smiles, suddenly very eager to impress this human, but not sure why. "If you thought that was impressive, watch this." Akira leaps backwards off the tree, doing a backflip in the process, and lands on the top of a nearby tree. "Wow!" Sakura shouts, "That was amazing!" Akira blushes slightly, and leans on a treebranch, pushing it forward and snapping it, sending him falling off the tree. Sakura gasps, and screams "Akira!" as he falls towards the ground.

Akira acts on instinct, letting the wolf side take over momentarily. He reaches out and grabs a nearby branch, swinging his body forward with the motion of the fall, sending him flying through the air towards Sakura's tree. Akira lands, with a thump, against the tree, digging his nails into the bark and holding on. Akira climbs up, using his sharp, tough nails to dig holes to grab on to. Within a minute of falling, Akira is back up on the branch beside Sakura, smiling as if nothing happened. Sakura watches for a moment, her jaw hanging open, before Akira nervously says "How...how's that for impressive?"He is more upset about screwing up in front of Sakura than he is about falling. Sakura, not able to find any words, just takes a step forward and hugs Akira. Akira sits, frozen for a minute, not sure what to do. He's never been hugged before. His kind are the most affectionate in the world. Akira raises his arms and wraps them around Sakura, hugging her gently, as if afraid of hurting her. "I'm okay Sakura. I'm sorry for scaring you." There was a pause of a few minutes, in which they just hugged, Akira enjoying the display of affection from the pretty girl who smelled amazing, before Sakura giggles and says "Akira, you are an idiot. Let's get down from here." Akira nods, and watches as Sakura breaks the hug and starts to climb down the tree, at a slow, human pace. Akira grins, climbs down beside her, and wraps an arm around her. "I have a quicker way down."

Akira digs his nails into the tree and slides down the tree, holding Sakura in one arm. Sakura screams, but not fearfully, as if she's having fun. In less than a minute, they reach the bottom, Sakura giggling like a child. "That was so much fun! How did you do that?" Akira grins at her and cleans the sawdust out from under his fingernails. "Let's just say it's a natural talent. Now, Sakura, can I walk you back to your dorm?" Sakura smiles at Akira, blushing slightly. "Yes, that would be lovely Akira, thank you. The walk back always creeps me out, it'll be nice to have company." Akira smiles down at her, taking in her features. Blonde hair, although he can tell it's dyed that way, he can smell the chemicals. Hazel eyes, with flecks of green in them, like little trees. About up to his chest in height. Akira blushes when he realises just how pretty the girl he's spent the last hour with is, or at least how pretty he finds her. He coughs awkwardly before saying "Well, let's get you home then." The two walk off out of the forest and back to the main part of the school, towards the day dorm. The walk is long, as they have to walk to the steps leading from the forest to the dorm. Akira could scale a tree and jump, but he knows enough about humans to know they can't. They walk in silence, nothing needing to be exchanged, but not awkwardly. It's a comfortable silence. Sakura looks up at the boy she's walking with. Tall, dark blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and obviously well built. Guys like him normally wouldn't talk to her. They'd be too busy focusing their attentions on the girls from the night dorm. Sakura smiles, wondering if the other girls will be jealous when she tells them about him.

After a while, they get to the day dorm. Akira looks down at Sakura and smiles. "Well, here you are Sakura." Sakura nods "Yeah, here I am..." The two stand in silence for a moment, before Sakura hugs Akira. "Thank you for tonight Akira. I enjoyed myself." Akira hugs back, still not sure how tight to hug, and says in return "You're welcome Sakura, I enjoyed myself too." "Will I...see you around school?" Sakura asks, hoping for a yes. Akira smiles at her, feeling warm in the cold night knowing someone wants to see him again. "Yes, I promise. I get to choose my classes, so, um...I can choose your ones, if you'd like..." Sakura blushes, hugs him a little tighter, and smiles. "That would be great Akira, thank you." The pair stand in the darkness, hugging each other, before Sakura finally says "Goodnight Akira, I hope to see you again tomorrow." Akira nods. "Goodnight Sakura, sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Sakura turns and walks into her dorm, leaving Akira standing in the dark.

Akira turns and walks back to his dorm, scaling the walls when he gets there, and climbing back into his room. He lies on his bed, thinking of the night he just had, about Sakura. Sakura realised something that was new to him. He was upset that she was gone. He felt happy in her presence. He misses her already. He thinks about her scent, her voice, how she looked. He can't get her off his mind, until her finally goes to sleep about an hour later, anxious and excited to see her again tomorrow.

In the day dorm, Sakura was thinking the exact same thing.

Both Akira and Sakura fell asleep smiling that night, an experience that neither of them had been used to before. Each was the last thing on the other's mind as they fell asleep.

That night was the best either of them had had in a very, very long time.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun shines through the window of Yuki and Zero's room, beating down on the couple as they lie in their bed. Yuki, still clinging on to Zero from behind, is the first to wake up. She sits up in their small bed, they've never needed a large one, they're happy lying close to each other, and rubs her eyes, yawning. She looks down on her vampire, and admires him as he sleeps. The sun bounces off his perfect white hair, causing it to shine brilliantly. Yuki looks at the clock, and realises that it's two in the afternoon. Yuki smiles at the sleeping Zero. "I think it's time you woke up." Yuki pulls the covers off of Zero, gasping at what she sees. There Zero lies, wearing only a pair of tight boxer shorts. He usually slept in a shirt, but Kaname removed it to deal with his wounds. Yuki runs her eyes up and down Zero's figure, his muscles looking amazing. She glances further down from his chest, and notices a bulge. Quite a large one, at that. Blushing, realising what she's looking at, Yuki can't stop her head filling with ideas, and scenarios. She contemplates climbing on top of the vampire, her cheeks growing redder at the thought. She then sighs, deciding against it. "The first time shouldn't be like that..." Yuki thinks to herself. "Just wait Yuki, you'll get your chance..."

Yuki shakes off the redness covering her face, and pushes her thoughts to the back of her mind. She smiles, noticing that Zero hasn't woken up yet. He's always been a heavy sleeper. Yuki gently pokes Zero on the arm. "Zero, Zero, it's time to get up." Zero opens his eyes. The sound of Yuki's voice always wakes him up. Zero turns to Yuki, still half asleep, and smiles at her. "Well aren't you the most perfect sight I could have woke up to today. Good morning, Yuki." Yuki blushes, as she always does when Zero says things like that. He's becoming quite the charmer. "G...good morning, Zero." Yuki leans over and kisses Zero, Zero pulling her closer and kissing her back. Zero looks down, and sees his mostly naked body. "Oh, um, uh...could you hand me my clothes?" Yuki giggles. She doesn't understand how someone with a body lik his could ever be so shy about it. Against her own interest, Yuki gets out of the bed and grabs Zero's clothes off the chair in their room. She turns around and hands them to him. "Thank you Yuki." Zero says while pulling on his jeans. It's a Saturday, so there's no reason to dress in the school uniform. Zero puts on his white shirt, and his black leather shoes. Yuki wonders how Zero can look so good in such boring clothes. Yuki starts to take off what she was wearing in bed, one of Zero's shirts, as she always wore in bed. Once taking off the shirt, Yuki is only in her bra and panties, both black with pink decor on them. Zero gawps at her body, never really seeing it this bare before, except for in his dreams. He stares at his love, thinking of how much she has changed in the year they were together. In the year between fifteen and sixteen, Yuki has changed phenomenally. She was already beautiful, but now she had developed further. Zero compared her to last year. She's grown about an inch, not a lot for a year, but Zero likes her height. It's perfect for holding her. Her figure has become so much more womanly, her body a series of curves. She's kept her hair the same, which Zero likes. Lastly, without really thinking about it, Zero looks at her breasts. They've grown since last year. They haven't gone up any sizes, but they've filled out more. Zero swallows forcefully, thanking every force he can think of that he's already wearing jeans to cover his crotch. Yuki looks back at him, seeing his reaction, and smiles. Within a few minutes, Yuki is dressed, to Zero's disappointment, but relief at the same time. He doesn't know how much longer he could have controlled himself. Yuki wears a fairly short skirt, with black leggings, and a t-shirt with a little leather jacket Zero gave her for her birthday. Yuki does a little spin. "Ta-da! How do I look?" Zero runs his eyes over the now clothed Yuki and smiles. "Beautiful. Now, let's go downstairs. We should try to enjoy our day before patrol tonight."

The couple link hands and walk out of their bedroom, each wishing the other was wearing considerably less clothes.

* * *

><p>Akira looks in the mirror. Brown leather jacket, blue jeans, an anime t-shirt, and a pair of black converse. He's only really got this outfit and the school uniform. They're the clothes he was given when he joined the academy. Akira stares at himself, thinking his look over. He's suddenly very aware of how he looks, but he doesn't know why. Akira decides he looks okay in this outfit, and checks the time. Two o' clock. Sakura had phoned him about half an hour ago, asking him to meet at half two in front of the day dorm. She had gotten his number from the information desk, where you can get all the numbers for the school's built in phones. He listens for noise around the dorm. Ichico is awake. He can hear his mocking tone in the front hall. He obviously didn't see Akira tackle him to the ground a few nights ago, or else he would have been to his room immediately. Ichigo is in a bad mood, Akira can hear how he's ordering the other classmates about. He decides it would be both safer and easier to exit through his room window, removing any possibility of bumping into Ichigo while he's in his bad mood from the headache he most likely has. Akira slips out his window, leaping from his windowsill to the one below him. From there, he jumps down to a tree bordering the dorm, and then to the bottom level of the dorm, where he can walk to the bridge. He would prefer to jump through the trees again, but he doesn't want pine needles in his jacket.<p>

Akira walks over the bridge connecting the dorm to the main part of the academy, and then walks over to the day dorm. He finds a spot up against the wall and waits, observing the area around him. The members of the day class are spilling out of the dorm gates. Akira closes his eyes, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He smells perfume, and deodorant, all of it artificial, and unpleasant to his powerful nose. He can smell the make up the girls are wearing, ever the unscented kinds. He tries to find something more pleasant to smell. He smells raw meat, obviously emanating from the kitchen of the academy. Akira's mouth fills with saliva, threatening to drool at the delicious scent of the raw meat. He took a deeper breath. Beef. Akira enjoys the smell of the beef. Bloody and raw. Just how he likes it. Akira shakes his head, trying to repel such animalistic thoughts. "You live with the humans now Akira, you have to act like them..." he thinks to himself. Suddenly, he smells something peculiar. It smells like blood, but not out in the open. Akira can't usually smell the blood while it's still someone's veins. He takes a long sniff, confused by the new smell. It becomes easier to smell. It's getting closer. Akira takes another breath in, trying to figure out where's he's smelled that smell before. He recalls smelling it recently. Akira digs through his memories, to a few nights ago. The smell wafted through a doorway as it was being opened. Being opened by Kaname Kuran, while Akira returned the white haired boy to the dorm.

Akira's eyes snap open. "Vampire..." he says softly to himself.

Akira hears a chuckle next to him. "My ears are burning." Akira turns, and sees a boy around his age. Pale skin. Black, straight hair, curved around his head, his fringe swooping down past his forehead, but not as low as his eyes. Shorter than him, but not by much. Slender, but not overly so. "I see you're good with your nose. Singled me out among the humans." Akira gets a little worried. "Uh, the humans? What are you talking about? We're all humans here." The boy chuckles again "Please, it's not hard to single out the non-humans here. When you're one of them, you tend to know how they act. I'm guessing you're not a vampire from your surprise at detecting another one. So, what are you then? I don't really know any non-humans other than vampires." "...You're talking a little openly about this, aren't you? Couldn't you be overheard easily?" The black haired boy looks around at the hustle and bustle around him. "They hear what I want them to hear." The boy raises a hand and lifts Akira a few centimetres off the ground without touching him, to Akira's immense surprise. "You...I... put me down!" Akira shouts. The boy lets him drop. "You didn't know vampires could do that, did you?" Akira shakes his head. "I've only met one, not including you. I know barely anything about your kind. At least I know your smell now." Akira grumbles, not liking it when he doesn't know something. The boy smiles, but not spitefully, friendlily. "Oh, in that case, let me tell you. You see, most vampires, above a certain level, oh, we have levels, like, um..." the boy pauses, trying to think of an example. Akira smiles at the boy, now that he's showing his kind side. "Like the ranks in a pack of wolves?" Akira says to him. "Yes, exactly, except we're levelled by the quality of our blood. Anyways, vampires above a certain level have powers. Most of these are elemental, the power to create or manipulate elements, such as fire, ice and water. I was one of the lucky ones who was born with telekinetic powers, and psychic powers. Like Lord Kaname!" the boy beams, proud that him and his pure blood leader have something in common. "So, I can limit the humans, so that they don't hear us." Akira smiles, genuinely interested. "That's amazing, I didn't know you could do that."

The boy smiles, happy that he's educated this non-human on the ways of the vampire. Suddenly, Akira catches a scent. Floral. Mixed flowers. Not perfume, natural. Akira smiles. It's Sakura. Akira can smell that she's just exiting the dorms now, from the strength of the aroma. Akira turns to the boy again. "Thank you for that lesson on your kind, it was very interesting. I have to go now, I'm meeting someone. Hope to see you around..." Akira pauses, waiting for a name. "Ryu. Ryu Nakashima." Akira smiles at Ryu. "A pleasure to meet you Ryu, I'm Akira Regendorf. I hope to see you around the school." And with that, Akira walks away from the vampire, walking towards the ever growing scent of flowers. Walking toward Sakura.

* * *

><p>Sakura smiles when she sees Akira coming towards her. She quickly glaces over herself, making sure she looks okay. She's wearing a black skirt, up to her knee, a pair of black leggings, a white t-shirt with a bunny on it, a pair of white converse and a purple hair band in her blonde hair. Akira looks her over and smiles. "Hello Sakura. I like your outfit." Sakura blushes when he compliments her, not knowing why she does that so much around him. "Thanks Akira, I like your jacket, it's nice on you." Akira smiles upon the compliment. It makes him not regret picking this as his one outfit. "So, what shall we be doing today?" Akira asks. "Well, I thought we could go into town? The school allows us to on weekends." Akira roots through his pockets, checking how much money he brought with him. "Well, I've got a bit of money, so sure. I don't know the town at all though..." Sakura smiles. "That's alright, you just stick close to me, I know the town really well."<p>

The two walk out of the school gates, into the town. They spend the day together, shopping, getting lunch, seeing a movie. Once they leave the theatre, they just sit on a bench in the park, next to each other. They sit and talk, for a good hour, before they realise that it's dark, and quite cold.

Sakura shivers on the bench. "I'm freezing, I should have brought a jacket." Akira smiles, and shrugs off his leather jacket. "Here, put this one, I don't need it." And he didn't need it. His skin was used to the cold. Akira places the jacket around Sakura's shoulders, wrapping it around her to keep her warm. Sakura blushes when he puts the coat on her, her whole body warming up as soon as he offers. She's more warm from the fact that he offered than the coat itself. "Th...thank you Akira." Sakura smiles at the boy sitting beside her. Akira returns the smile. "Not a problem. Can't have a pretty girl like you being cold."

Akira realises what he just said, and his blood turned to ice. "Pretty?" he screamed in his head. "You let her know you think she's pretty? Idiot!" Sakura gasps a little at the compliment, before blushing all over her face. Akira sits, embarrassed. "I, um, I mean...uh..." Akira can't find any way to recover. It's out there now, so he just waits for her reaction. A moments silence passes, before Sakura says "You...you think I'm pretty?" unable to contain her shy smile. Akira feels his heart speed up, as he struggles to find any words. After another moment, Akira smiles shyly and blushes "Well, um...yeah, of course I do. You're very pretty Sakura. I mean...you're um...you're beautiful Sakura." Akira says, his stomach cramped in fear. "Vampires, Alphas, I can handle" he thought to himself, "but, girls? Girls are scary..."

A few minutes of silence fell on the two teenagers on the bench, Sakura smiling dumbly at Akira the whole time. She felt butterflies not only in her stomach, but everywhere. What Akira said wasn't much, but she could tell he meant it. Nobody had called her beautiful before, they saved that word for the night class.

Sakura snuggles up to Akira, burying her head in his chest. "Thank you Akira...really." She says quietly. Akira, not knowing why, wraps his arm around her. "I should thank you Sakura. I got to look at you all day." Akira says with a slight chuckle. Sakura giggles in response, before tilting her head up to look at Akira's face. Unintentionally, Akira looks down at the same time. Their eyes meet, Akira's bright blue eyes looking down into Sakura's hazel and green eyes, like a sky above a forest. They stare, leaving each other breathless. Automatically, they move their faces closer to the other's, neither of them able to stop it, though they wouldn't, even if they could. They draw ever closer to each other, their heads tilting slightly to the right. Akira takes a short breath in through his nose when only centimetres separate them, and says quietly, as they drift ever closer, almost in a whisper, "You...smell...amazing..."

Their lips meet, gently pushing against each other. They close their eyes, and sit on the bench, savouring the feel of their lips on the other's. Akira marvels at how soft her lips are, Sakura thinking the same for him. They kiss gently, Sakura from lack of experience, Akira from a fear of hurting her with his sharp teeth if he gets too enthusiastic, as well as lack of experience. Neither of them attempt to use their tongues, both content and happy with the gentle, safe feeling they were receiving from the light kiss. They kiss for what feels like an hour, but was only a space of about ten minutes, after which Sakura shyly pulls away, a light blush covering her cheeks. Akira raises his hand and softly strokes her cheek, smiling at her. Both of them just look at each other, before they whisper, almost simultaneously, "That was my first kiss..."

Upon hearing that, they each smile, and stand up, embracing each other gently, comfortingly. Both of them feel safe and warm now, neither of them wanting to move from this spot. Akira, however, realises the time. "C'mon," he says, gesturing towards the school, "We need to go, I'm sorry." Akira smiles, and shyly extends his hand. "I'll walk you back to your dorm again."

Sakura smiles, gently grabs Akira's hand, and the pair start to walk towards the school.

They walk, hand in hand, taking as long as possible, not wanting to rush a single second of this, neither wanting the walk to ever end.

* * *

><p>The door to Kaname's room opens as Zero and Yuki walk past, returning from their day together. "Zero, if I could speak to you in my room please? We have something important to discuss."<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everybody, just a quick note to clear up a few things. It's come to my attention that people think I'm basing some situations in this fanfic on my own life. This isn't true. Yes, Akira is based on me, but only physically, not his personality or traits. The same goes for Sakura, she's based on someone, but only her looks. I didn't even make their fashion sense the same. A few of my original characters ARE based on people, but I can assure you that their personalities and situations are completely original. The sexual scenes are NOT based on experience, I just wrote them as they came along. To be honest, I never planned the sexual scenes, they just happened, and I feel that they develop the story/characters well, so I'm going to keep doing them. I will, however, put a warning before any sexual parts.

That's all I have to say for now, hope you enjoy part six, my little bloodsuckers.

* * *

><p>Zero walks into Kaname's room, after being called by him from the hall. He had completely forgotten about his meeting with Kaname, he was too focused on his injuries and Yuki. Zero looks around the room, noticing how much grander it is than his and Yuki's room. It's a lot simpler than he expected though. He expected Kaname's room to be extravagant and over the top. Instead, it was just bigger, and had a few more classy looking items, like a few paintings. "Like that one?" Kaname asks as Zero picks up a small painting of a wolf. It almost looks like a photo, it's so realistic. "Yeah, it's amazing. Who painted it?" Zero asks, wondering who could possess such artistic talent. Kaname smiles. "I did. I'm glad you like it." Zero smiles at Kaname, genuinely impressed. "YOU painted that? I didn't know you painted, it's incredible." "Thank you Zero. Keep it, it's rare for people to anybody to admire my artwork. Think of it as a thank you." Kaname smiles at Zero, but not his usual smile he puts on for show. He means this one.<p>

"I see Yuki's blood did you good." Kaname says, a faint twang of jealousy in his voice. Zero turns to Kaname, his eyes wide with surprise. "How did you?" Zero exclaims, before calming down. "What am I talking about. I'm in a dorm full of vampires, they probably all know." Zero says, sullen, hoping to keep his feeding habits secret. "No, don't worry, they were in class at the time. It's just me who knows." Kaname says, trying to reassure Zero. Zero looks at Kaname, a look of guilt in his eyes. "She asked me to...she said it would heal me faster..." Kaname smiles again, a little less enthusiastically, but still genuine. "And it did. Look at yourself Zero, you're almost fully recovered in the space of twenty-four hours. It would have taken you a week to recover on the blood capsules." Kaname goes silent for a moment, before placing a hand on Zero's shoulder, startling him with this sudden gesture of comfort from the normally emotionless vampire. "It's not a crime to feed Zero. The only reason that most of us don't drink real blood is because we have nobody who will offer it to us for the right reasons. Any humans that do offer usually just find the idea of vampires romantic and exciting. You've got someone who offers it to you because they care about you, and not a vampire in this dorm will lose any respect for you, or even become jealous that they don't get it, for feeding from Yuki." Kaname looks straight at Zero, a serious, but oddly comforting and friendly look on his face. "It is a vampire's nature to feed Zero. Don't try to fight it when it's offered to you so readily."

Zero looks at the vampire in front of him, a new sense of respect springing forth. Zero places his hand on Kaname's shoulder and says quietly honestly, "Thank you Kaname. Really." The two stand there like that, holding each other's shoulder in an odd form of affection between the two hardened vampires, before they let their hands drop.

"Now, I suppose we should get down to proper business. I want to talk to about the Twilight dorm, two nights ago. You had a run in with Ichigo Kaburagi, I believe?" Kaname asks. As Zero winces at the memory, he nods. "Yes. I did." A few seconds pass before Zero asks, "What are they? How can Ichigo...what are they?"

Kaname sighs, as he doesn't seem to want to answer the question. "They, as you put them, are our brothers and sisters in the night. Lycanthropes. Werewolves." Zero's face twists into a mask of confusion and anger. "Werewolves?" He barks at Kaname. "Well, technically, they're Animagi, because they can choose when they transform, and retain control while transformed, but yes, Werewolves." Kaname responds calmly. "How are you so calm about this?" Zero asks, bewildered. Kaname chuckles in response. "Did you really think we were the only non-humans? Well, I suppose very few vampires do. Non-humans are divided into clans. We vampires are the Blood clan. Werewolves are members of the Beast clan. Those with magical ability are the Mana clan. There are several more clans, but Vampires and Werewolves are the two dominant ones." Zero, now intrigued, begins to ask questions. "Which is the most dominant?" Zero asks. Kaname smiles, enjoying being asked questions he knew the answer to for once. "That's the interesting thing, any attempt to count the amounts has come up completely even. As far as we know, there is one of them for every one of us." Kaname walks over to his bookshelf and searches it for a moment, before finding the book he was looking for. "Here, take this as well as the painting." Kaname says while handing Zero a large book. Zero reads the cover. '_Clans of the night, and other non-humans'_. "I recommend you read it. It has all the information on all currently discovered clans, as well as any non-human entities that have not been classified. There are a few stories in there too. Yuki will enjoy them."

Zero smiles at the book. "Thank you Kaname." He looks up at Kaname, and gives him a look a child would give to an adult. "You pure bloods find out everything so easily. Life must be a breeze for you."

Kaname's expression suddenly sinks, turning from an enjoying smile to a depressed stare. "You're wrong, I'm afraid. Life is anything but easy for us, and me especially." Zero stares at the now melancholy filled vampire in front of him, confused. "But, you live forever, don't you? That must be incredible, surely? I've been told us lower level vampires don't even compare in age to you." Kaname looks at Zero, his eyes becoming increasingly dark. "We do live forever, or at least close to it, but it is anything but incredible. It's a sentence, not a blessing." Zero looks at Kaname with mild annoyance. "How can you say that? You're not appreciating a gift to you, allowing you to see the world change, and change with it."

Kaname snaps his gaze to Zero, suddenly taking a threatening step towards him. "A gift? I'm not appreciating a gift?" Kaname shouts, scaring Zero. Kaname never shouts, he always remains composed. "You aren't aware of what you have! Immortality is a curse, a burden that I can't hope to outlive! I have watched all I love crumble and die before my eyes countless times! The places, the customs, the styles, I've been forced to change with them so as to remain! I have lost every person, or even vampire, I've ever dared to care about, watching them grow old and perish, without a damn thing I can do about it! I have tried to help them, tried to let them live with me, take the slow path with me, but I only make things worse by spreading my retched blood, degrading beautiful, wonderful humans into animals, Level E's, because they simply reacted badly to it! I've killed innocents, let demons escape justice, watched the world burn and degrade before my very eyes!"

Zero interrupts Kaname. "But surely it's worth it? Getting to watch the world grow old, the power and knowledge you have?"

Kaname suddenly goes very quiet, but speaks after about a minute, a dark look spread across his face. "Watch Yuki die before your eyes a thousand times over, and then tell me it's worth it." Kaname says quietly, bitterly, to Zero, before walking away, out of his own room, leaving Zero alone.

Zero sits on the ground, guilt and grief filling his body for what he has said to Kaname, the pain he has caused to the vampire extending as much help and knowledge as he can to the Level E who owes him his life. Zero owes Kaname almost everything. Without him he would be an animal by now. Zero places his open palm across his face, covering the mask of sorrow that his face has become.

Zero stays like this for half an hour or so, before deciding on something, and getting up. Zero walks out of Kaname's room, into his own, where Yuki is asleep on the bed. Zero smiles at his sleeping love, wanting more than anything to wake her, hold her, tell her how much he cares for her, tell her of the commitment he is about to make. But, another time, he decides. He has something to do now. Zero places the book and the painting on the bedside table, before leaving the room and walking to the dorm's library.

* * *

><p>Kaname sits in an armchair inside the library, his head buried in his hands, trying to contain the sadness that has been released. He normally hides his feelings on his immortality, but Zero set him off. There he sits, until he hears the sound of someone clearing their throat in the room.<p>

Kaname looks up from his hands, and sees Zero sitting in the armchair opposite his.

"You didn't turn me into a Level E. Your blood reacted well with mines. Very well, in fact. As far as I can see it, I can live for as long as you can, if I take a drink of your blood every once and a while. So, I say this, I'll take the long road. I'll become your companion, your partner in watching the world burn. I'll be a constant, a familiar face throughout the changing times. I'll be your friend, forever, if you will accept me." Zero says, his grey eyes sparkling with emotion, which rarely happened except when he was with Yuki. Kaname looks Zero up and down, looking at the vampire offering to throw the tender release of death away, just to keep him company. Kaname looks at Zero, and a single tear falls from his right eye.

"Zero, hearing you offer that means everything to me, but I'm afraid I can't ask that of you. I have no right to take your right to an end away, just to make my never ending life easier. I forgive you for earlier Zero, and I accept you as a friend, a very close one, as of now, but I can't ask you to do this. You have Yuki, and we both know that she is what matters to you. When she goes, you probably won't want to carry on for much longer, and I can't deny you that, because I know how badly you'll want it."

Kaname stands up, gesturing at Zero to do the same. Once he does Kaname walks over and hugs Zero, holding onto him almost as tight as Yuki does. "Just stay around for as long as you can, my friend." Kaname says, before breaking the hug and walking away, not wanting to show too much emotion at the moment. Kaname goes back to his room, lies down on his bed, and stares at his ceiling, a smile spread across his face that he has not known for a long time.

* * *

><p>Zero walks into his room, Yuki still sleeping on their bed. He strips down to a t-shirt and his underwear, and climbs into bed beside Yuki, wrapping his arms around her. She doesn't wake up, much to Zero's delight. He hates waking her up when she's sleeping, because he thinks she's adorable when she's sleeping. Zero lies down beside her, kissing her once, gently, on the forehead.<p>

"He's right, you know," Zero says softly, more to himself than the sleeping Yuki, "I wouldn't last long without you."

The vampire goes to sleep, holding his beloved close to him, his lips resting on her neck. Soon he is asleep, not aware of his own senses, his feelings going numb as the perfect darkness of rest takes over. Yuki's pulse speeds up slightly in her sleep, due to a dream she is having. Her increased pulse presses against Zero's lips.

If Zero's eyes had been open, they would have glowed red.


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura lies on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She hates Sundays, nothing to do. She toys around with ideas in her head. "Study?...Nah." She thinks to herself. "I could watch a movie...but I've already watched all the ones I have..." Her eyes look towards the phone built into her wall. "I could call Akira..."

Sakura frowns for a moment. Her and Akira haven't talked since they kissed the night before. Akira walked her back to her dorm, hugged her, and wished her goodnight. She's worried. She doesn't know if they're dating now. "Akira doesn't seem like the kind of guy to just kiss, but then again I only know him a few days..." Sakura muses aloud. "Are we going out now...? Ugh, why didn't I ask yesterday!" Sakura exclaims, squinting hard in frustration. Sakura thinks for a few moments before deciding to call him. The phone rings once. Twice. Three times.

"I don't think he's home." A voice says.

Sakura jumps and looks around, before seeing Akira standing on her windowsill, smiling as if it was nothing. "Akira?" Sakura asks, both amused and surprised. "The one and only. Well, there's probably other Akira's, but you know what I mean." Akira says, smiling pleasantly. Sakura giggles at him, finding the little joke funnier than it is. "What are you doing out there?" She asks. "Well, I just got bored in my dorm, and thought I'd drop in." "How did you know which room was mines?" Sakura asks, very curious as to how he found her room. Akira tries to think of an excuse. He'd followed her scent to find her room, but he doesn't think she needs to know that. "I, um, saw you, through the window. So, may I come in?" Sakura smiles at Akira. "Sure, just let me open the window." Sakura opens the window, and Akira jumps in. Akira looks around the room, taking note of everything in it, as well as taking in the scent of the room. Akira does that automatically, as he was trained to when entering a new environment. "Nice room, very tidy." Akira picks up a stuffed animal that was lying on her bed. He chuckles when he sees it's a wolf. "Like wolves, huh?" Akira asks, amused by what she doesn't know. "Oh yeah, I love wolves, they're such amazing animals. I know everything about them." Sakura says gleefully, enjoying the mention of her favourite animal. Akira chuckles to himself. "I doubt you know everything about them. But anyways, enough about wolves, I'm here to talk about you."

Sakura tenses up a little, getting slightly worried. "Is he going to say he doesn't want to be with me? Did he just steal my first kiss?" She thinks to herself.

"...I was wondering if, you know, um..." Akira starts, visibly nervous. "...Do you want to like, be my..." Akira's eyes snap wide open. "_What the hell do humans say for mate?" _He thinks to himself. "...My girlfriend?"

Sakura blushes and smiles, before hugging Akira tight. "Yes, I'd like that very much Akira." Akira lets out a sigh of relief, and hugs Sakura back, relieved both that she said yes, and that he'd used the right word. "So, um, now what do we do?" Akira asks, not used to even the concept of human relationships, let alone being in one. Sakura giggles, seemingly amused by Akira's cluelessness, until she realises, she doesn't know either. "Um, I don't know...what do you want to do?" Sakura asks. A few minutes pass, the new couple trying to figure out a way to spend their time, until Akira grins. "I think I have an idea." Akira grabs Sakura hand. "Come with me."

Akira starts to climb out the window, dragging Sakura along with him, much to her surprise, but she complies, following him. They climb down the day dorm, Akira basically dragging Sakura off the edges, but catching her every time. Akira leads her away from the day dorm, towards the Twilight dorm. As they near it, Akira takes a turn, leading to the stairway to the forest below. They walk into the forest, Sakura smiling, happy Akira has taken her to her favourite place on the campus. Akira walks around sniffing the air, looking for a certain scent. After about ten minutes of what Sakura thought was a nice walk for a first date, Akira locates the scent he was looking for. "Here we go." Akira says, to both himself and Sakura. "Come on, this way."

The couple start to jog through the dense forest, Sakura being dragged along, but not unpleasantly, by her new boyfriend, who she hasn't stopped looking at since they agreed they were a couple. She loves his eyes, admiring them silently as he drags her along. After a few minutes of jogging, they come to a clearing. "Look." Akira says to Sakura.

Sakura looks into the clearing, wondering what she's looking for, until she sees it. A gasp of awe emits from the girl.

In the clearing, is a pack of Grey Wolves. Not a large pack, but a pack all the same. Beautiful grey coats cover the bodies of every wolf. Sakura watches them as they laze around in the clearing, obviously full from a recent meal. Wolf cubs play, tackling and falling over each other in the soft grass. The sight has Sakura almost to tears. She's never been this close to a wild wolf before. She marvels at the strong animals as they go about their lives, uncomplicated by responsibilities, other than hunting, which must be fairly easy for them, they're all very well fed.

Akira grabs Sakura's hand gently, causing her to look away from the wolves for a moment. Akira is smiling at how much she is enjoying the wolves. "Come on, let's get closer." "But, they might see us." Sakura says, obviously a little scared. She knows how territorial wolves can be. Akira bends down to her level and kisses her on the cheek. "Trust me on this, we'll be fine." Akira says with a smile. His soft smile reassures her, and she nods gently. Akira walks slowly into the clearing, walking closer to the wolf pack. At several points, Sakura thinks he's going to stop, but he just keeps walking to the wolves. He isn't at all afraid of them. They're his kind, he knows how they think. Akira walks right up to the alpha of the pack, a shocked and frightened Sakura being tugged behind him. The wolf looks up at Akira, who delivers a stare to the animal, his eyes changing from their usual blue, a brown-yellow colour sweeping over his eyes, unnoticed by Sakura, looking directly into the wolf's eyes. After a few moments of this staredown, the wolf lies down on its stomach. Akira smiles, and his eyes revert to their normal shade of light blue. He turns to an amazed Sakura, and says, with a smile "Alright, we're fine now." "How, the wolf, you just...how did you do that?" Sakura says, stunned by Akira's control over the animal. Akira grins. "Let's just say I know how to act with wolves. Now, go ahead, pet him." Akira says. "Pet him? But, what if he"- "He won't bite you. Seriously, go ahead, I know you want to."

Sakura gawps at Akira, but does as he says. Slowly, very slowly, she puts her hand out to the wolf, waiting for a reaction. When she gets none, she moves her hand closer, and closer, until it finally comes into contact with the wolf's head. Sakura smiles, her mouth still open from the shock, petting the wolf on the head, marvelling at how soft the animal's head is. She turns to Akira. "I'm petting a wolf!" She exclaims. Akira smiles, enjoying her happiness at the simple act of petting a wolf. "Yeah you are, enjoying yourself?"Sakura simply nods in response, not able to find any words for the sheer amazement she's getting from the process. Akira continues to smile, and then sits down and whistles sharply. A wolf cub runs over to him, and bounds into his arms, where Akira plays with it to keep himself amused while Sakura pets the wolf. Sakura continues to pet the wolf, until it lets out a short grunt. Akira stands up. "They have to go now, stop petting him please." Sakura immediately complies, and as soon as her hand lifts from the wolf's head, it stands up, lets out a short howl, and bounds off as the rest of its pack follow him into the trees. All but one cub, the one Akira was playing with. The young cub jumps around Akira's feet, wagging it's tail. It doesn't want to leave. Akira crouches down to it's level and lets out a short growl. Not threatening, more stern. The cub whines, and then runs off into the forest after it's pack.

The couple stand in the forest in silence for a few minutes, gently holding each other's hand, until Akira turns to Sakura and says, with a smile, "Well, did you enjoy that?" Sakura simply stands on her toes and kisses him on the cheek, before giving him a hug and saying softly, "Thank you."

The couple start to walk back to the day dorm, hand in hand. In the distance, the pack can be heard howling. They both close their eyes and listen.

Music.

* * *

><p>Zero sits on his bed, a book in his hands, reading silently. Yuki is in class, and he's decided to fill the time by reading the book Kaname gave him. Neither him nor Yuki need to go to class, due to their positions in the disciplinary committee, but Yuki chooses to go to class anyways. Zero doesn't mind, he admires her desire to learn. Zero seems to learn everything easily since becoming a vampire.<p>

"_The beast clan.", _Zero reads to himself, "_The beast clan is the joint most dominant clan in the night, even with the Blood clan, or vampires. Members of the beast clan can transform into an anthropomorphic animal at any point in time, provided they aren't injured or extremely fatigued. This transformation involves growing (no cases have been recorded of the transformed animal form being smaller than the human form), causing the addition of both height and muscle, the average member of the beast clan measuring seven feet to eight feet tall (male), and six to seven feet tall (female), when fully transformed. Transformation involves the growing of hair, usually covering the entire body, animalistic features, claws and fangs, both of which are extremely strong, the changing of eye colour, the growth of a tail, and extreme muscle mass forming. This muscle mass rarely slows them down. Most members of the beast clan possess extreme physical strength, as well as speed, mental awareness, and fighting skill when fully transformed, although in human form they are still significantly stronger and faster than average humans, though slightly weaker than medium level vampires. They also have the ability to communicate, but not directly control, the animal which their beast form derives from, in both their human and beast forms. Beast clan members can transform partially as well as fully, such as growing claws, changing their eyes, and growing out their fangs and hair without changing their shape. The only recorded types of beast clan members are Wolf and Tiger, although the Tiger form was only recorded a few times, making the wolf clan the dominant species. Theories state that any animal is possible, but no records exist of any other species."_

"_The wolf clan, or Werewolves, have an extremely strong sense of smell and hearing, and a very high level of sight also. In full beast form, these senses are amazingly powerful. Even in human form, the sense of smell is greater than that of trained sniffer dogs (werewolves can be trained to sniff out explosives and drugs better than dogs). Werewolves tend to live in closed off settlements, usually in forests, but have recently started integrating into human society. Attacks on humans are not unrecorded, although they are rare. Werewolf alphas put the attacks down to diseased or mentally ill werewolves. The wolf clan usually live in packs, as wolves do, directed by an alpha."_

Zero puts the book down, unable to read anymore. He is both afraid and intrigued by what he just read. "Extreme physical strength is right..." Zero says, rubbing his shoulder, which is still a little sore. He decides to ask Kaname about it later, wondering if they are a threat to the Night dorm.

Zero grows suddenly tired, and decides to take a quick rest. He puts his head on the pillow, and very quickly drifts off into a sleep.

* * *

><p>Akira walks in through the front door of the Twilight dorm, having left Sakura home. He thinks of the day he had, of Sakura's smile. His thoughts are interrupted by a mocking voice, not actually mocking him.<p>

"Akira! I see you've been out."

Akira smiles forcefully. "Yes, Ichigio."

Ichigo grins his cocked grin, one side of his mouth higher than the other. "Exploring the campus? Sizing up the enemy, and more importantly, the potential recruits." Ichigo says, a hint of superiority in his voice.

"Exploring the campus, yes." Akira says softly.

"Come, we have something to discuss." Ichigo says, before walking up the a stairs. Akira, against his own wishes, obeys his alpha, and follows.

* * *

><p>Kaname sits at the desk in his room, reading an original copy of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant Of Venice", one of his favourite plays, when he hears a knock at his door. "Come in." He says in his elegant, calm voice.<p>

The door opens, and Yuki walks in. Kaname smiles at the unexpected visit from her. "Good evening, Yuki. How can I help you?"

Yuki tucks her fist up under her chin, Kaname smiling at the pose. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question about vampires." Yuki asks shyly. "Of course Yuki, what would you like to know?"

"I was wondering...can a vampire make a human pregnant?"

Kaname raises an eyebrow, confused by the question. "Not easily, it's rare for a vampire to impregnate a human. It usually only happens when both patners wish to have a child. Why do you ask?" Kaname says, a confused tone in his voice.

Yuki smiles softly and blushes after getting the exact answer she wanted. "Oh, no reason, we just did some sex ed in class today, and I was curious about vampires. Thank you Kaname!" Yuki says, before walking out of the room.

In her mind, Yuki starts planning.


	8. Chapter 8

Akira sits in a large room, looking around himself. He's been in a room almost identical to this countless times before, although never on the campus of Cross Academy. Ichigo must have moved the contents of the room from their previous location, or at least Akira hopes so. He doesn't wish there to be more than one of these items in the world. Akira looks at a decoration hanging on the wall and shudders. No matter how many times he has seen it, it has always brought a chill to his spine. This is something that he has never got used to looking at. He continues looking up at it, unable to avert his gaze. He tries to look away, managing only a quick scan of the room. Pelts of animals cover the walls. Bears, lions, a tiger, deer, a gorilla, all animals that Ichigo has killed, and hung up to prove it. His eyes return to the appalling decoration that originally caught his gaze, the one he has never been able to accept or condone. This one is no different in sense. A pelt. But this pelt is different to the others in appearance. No fangs, no claws, no horns, beaks, stingers, anything that would be a challenge to Ichigo. The other animals are all ones that put up a fight. Akira doesn't understand how this one could. Soft, pink flesh. No fur, except on its head. Level, dull teeth. This pelt is of a six foot tall human male. Akira shudders again, this time being spotted by Ichigo. "Still not used to the ol' homo sapien, I see." Ichigo says, both mockingly and with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Surely that's a good thing," Akira replies. "It means I'm not a monster." Ichigo chuckles sinisterly in response. "Yet." He says while grinning at Akira. "You're not a monster _yet_." Akira winces and sinks in his chair, quickly wishing to change the subject. "What have you called me for? What do we need to discuss?" He says, trying to end this conversation as quickly as possible. Ichigo frowns, in a way that has a genuine sense of hurt mixed in. "Can't I just call you here to talk? I wish to know what goes on in your life. I am your father after all." Akira cringes and digs his nails into the arms of his chair at the word father. "You're not my father." Akira growls. "Well, maybe not literally, but I might as well be." Ichigo responds, leaning in closer to Akira. "After all, I am the one who found you in that forest after your mother was killed, sniffed out your wolf blood, a little bundle of soft flesh, all alone in the snow, an easy meal for any predator that could have wandered by. I took you into my pack, raised you, trained you. I'm the closest thing to a father you've ever really had. I'm hurt that you don't see me that way." Akira looks on, a mixture of disgust and guilt upon his face, looking into Ichigo's eyes, filled with genuine pain. The two sit in silence for a moment, before Akira breaks it. "I'm sorry...father..." Akira says, struggling to call the red haired man in front of him his father. He examines Ichigo, the alpha looking a lot older here than he did in the night dorm, looking about twenty-six. The moonlight makes him look younger. Ichigo smiles when Akira calls him father, a smile born out of real happiness, not his usual mocking smirk. "So, Akira, tell me, how are you enjoying the academy? What have you been up to?" Akira starts talking about his time in the academy, telling Ichigo of his thoughts on the area, the environment, and the people. "What do you think of the vampires?" Ichigo asks, a sudden dark tone in his voice. "They seem nice. I met one named Ryu the other day, we had a brief conversation. And I met Kaname Kuran." Ichigo's face changes slightly when Kaname is brought up, becoming more wolf like. "Kuran is the enemy." He says bluntly, rage in his eyes. Akira, wanting quickly to change the subject from the vampire lord, starts asking a question. "Is there anything specific you want to talk about? I've filled you in, and I'm honestly a little tired." Ichigo's features soften for a moment, but then he gets a devilish look in his eyes. "Actually, there is something I'd like to talk about. Are you familiar with the legend of the blood brothers?" Ichigo says, his eyes twinkling with menace. Akira sits opposite his alpha, his surrogate father, and waits with a sense of dread over him for the next words to come out of the man's mouth.

* * *

><p>Yuki walks into her room after her brief conversation with Kaname, a seductive smile on her face. "Soon," she thinks to herself, "it will happen." Yuki looks at the bed, and notices Zero lying on their bed, splayed out randomly as he rests. She smiles at her vampire, finding him adorable when he sleeps. Yuki looks at his chest, intending to look at his magnificent figure, but instead seeing a book balanced on his chest. Curious, Yuki picks it up and reads the front cover. "<em>Clans of the night, and other non-humans." <em>She opens the cover, reading the table of contents. She finds the listings quite boring, fact files and summaries, until she spots a listing near the end. "_Legends and stories." _Yuki smiles childishly. She loves stories. Yuki opens up the chapter and reads the title of the first listing. "_The legend of the blood brothers." _Yuki immediately starts to read. "_There is a story passed down through both the beast and blood clans,"_ Yuki finds no real significance to the clan names, as she hasn't read what they are. "_that each member of each clan has an equivalent in the other clan. It is said that they will be perfectly matched, beast abilities equal to blood abilities. These two do not have to be identical, or even similar, in appearance, but once they fight, neither will be able to defeat the other head on. But, it is said that one pair will not only be equals, but look almost identical. This pair is said to have the exact same bl..." _Yuki is cut off by a sudden snatching of the book from her hands. "I'm afraid I'd like to read this first Yuki. Can't have you spoiling it on me, can I?" Yuki looks up and sees Zero looking at her, a smile on his face. "Oh, Zero, I'm sorry, I just wanted to see what it was." Yuki says, blushing. Zero is very particular about books. "Don't worry about it Yuki, I'm just have a thing with books." Zero replies gently, not wanting to make Yuki feel bad. Yuki smiles. "You're worse than Kakashi is with Make-out paradise." A look of confusion sweeps over Zero. "I'm worse than who is with what?" He says, not knowing what she is talking about. "Oh, I see, pirate guy." Yuki giggles. Zero has no idea what Yuki is talking about, but he nods anyways. "So, Yuki, you're obviously bored, reading a book this technical. What do you want to do?" Yuki looks at Zero, locking eyes with him. The two stare at each other, absorbed in the other's eyes. Yuki looks Zero up and down, noting the obvious muscles beneath his shirt. A moment's silence passes, before you grins and moves a little closer to Zero. "I know something we can do..."

Yuki pushes Zero down on the bed, taking him by surprise, so he's lying flat, and slowly climbs on top of him.

* * *

><p>Ichigo sits in his room, at a large wooden desk. Akira has been gone for about twenty minutes, away to bed. Ichigo twirls in his chair, one of the few items in this room that are man-made. He's usually opposed to human made items, but he really likes spinning chairs. He reaches into his shirt and pulls out a necklace made from a piece of string and a small charm. Ichigo smiles, genuine happiness spreading across his face. He looks quite friendly when he smiles, his sharp teeth hidden, and his features softening. Ichigo looks at the charm closely, moving it around in his fingers. A canine tooth. Ichigo chuckles softly and continues to smile at the charm. "Akira..." he says gently to himself. "I still remember when you lost this tooth. You were playing in some trees near where we had stopped to rest, trying to leap from one to another. You misjudged the fall and fell, missing the branch you were aiming for, instead falling to the one below. On instinct, when your hands missed it, you elongated your fangs and tried to bite the branch. The branch held, but your tooth did not. You cried afterwards, from the fall and the pain of losing your tooth. I told you that it would grow back, that we can do that, but you wouldn't stop crying, saying you wanted your tooth. You went to bed upset that night. I scoured the area around that tree, until I found it. I gave it to you the next day, and you were so happy. I told you how I spent half the night looking for it, and you gave me a hug. 'You keep it, you looked so hard for it. I'm happy just knowing it's safe.', you said. 'I'm happy that you can protect it now. You have it. Thank you though, dad.'<p>

"That was the first time you called me dad. It made me feel happy. But, it was a different sort of happiness than what I was used to. It wasn't satisfaction from a good hunt, or the sweet glory of revenge. This was a warm happiness. A safe happiness..."

Ichigo looks down at the tooth and sighs deeply, a look of sorrow suddenly spreading across his face. "I'm sorry that I have to be the monster you try to hard not to become. I really am. But, I'm an alpha now. If I wasn't maybe I could learn to get along with the other clans, with the humans. But, I'm a leader. I owe it to our clan to be ruthless, to be a monster, to protect them. If I could, I'd be the father you want, but I can't. I made a promise." Ichigo clutches the tooth tight. "I made a promise to your mother as she lay there dying. I promised to find you, raise you, and destroy the things that took her away from you. I promised to destroy the vampires. And I keep my word."

His features soften again. "And so, you can have my word Akira on this one thing, even if you're not here to hear it. I love you like I would my real son, maybe more so. I'm proud of you. I am so, so proud of you..."

Ichigo sits in his chair, clutching the tooth in his hand, as if it was the only thing stopping him from becoming more than a monster. As if it was his only hope of salvation. A barrier. A cure. Hope. A connection to a time when he didn't have to be a monster to fulfil his duties. A reminder of the only time when he could act like a human.

Ichigo closes his eyes, leans back in his chair, and slowly drifts off to sleep, an expression of peace upon his usually threatening face.


End file.
